1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to fluid pumps. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in a fluid pump providing improved sealing capability against the potential leakage of fluid onto the pump shaft.
2. General Background
At present, various types of pumps are utilized in the oil and gas industry for pumping mud or other compounds at the rig site. One such type of pump is a pump of the type manufactured by Dimco which utilizes an impeller blade for receiving and impelling fluid out of a flowline into a fluid pit or the like. The design of the Dimco pump is such that the pump shaft extending outward from the pump motor to the impeller blade is housed within a pair of oil bearings at a first end and a packing gland adjacent the impeller blade to help reduce the possibility of mud leaking into the oil bearing area. However, the packing gland on such a pump which resides between the pump housing and the shaft, is of a material which is somewhat resilient and subject to wear. Therefore, when fluid, mud or the like does in fact seep into the backside of the impeller blade in contact with the packing material, due to the property of the mud, i.e., having particles or the like therein, the packing gland is worn away from the shaft. When this occurs, the shaft is therefore allowed to flex during the pumping action, which is detrimental to the life of the shaft and ultimately to the life of the pump. In fact, the life of such a pump is approximately one year, after which time the pump components must be replaced due to wear of the packing gland.